Smart bets: Cicada Rhythm and Sans Abri

Andrea DeMarcus (upright bass/vocals) and David Kirslis (guitar/vocals) of Cicada Rhythm claim they “tried to keep it professional” but became smitten when they started playing music together. The couple say they avoid romance songs and instead deliver jazzy, modernized folk with heartfelt vocal harmonies. Opening the evening is Sans Abri, a side project that originated when Josh Erwin and Michael Paynter wrote several songs that they admit “didn’t fit the modus operandi” of their bluegrass quintet, Packway Handle Band. Live drum beats, guitar and mandolin intertwine to generate a genre-roving sound, peppered with vocal interplays that might give the right listener flashbacks to a Phish concert. Both Georgia-based bands perform at Isis Music Hall on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 9 p.m. $8/$12. isisasheville.com. Photo of Cicada Rhythm courtesy of the band